Mikeerik recently tagged me in his new community blog called "Most Anticipated Games", in which we're supposed to write about our most anticipated 2014 game, our most anticipated 2015 game, any game we want to play in the "near" future and our most anticipated game of all time. You can now see why I called this blog "all about anticipation". After we're done writing about whatever we wish, we're supposed to tag 3, 4, 5 users... whoever we think of.

I think it's a very nice idea. I mean, we all have been anxious for something to happen right? Whether it was a game, a movie, a book release or the first day of work, I think you know the feeling of anticipation. Not being able to sleep properly because you know something big is going to take place the following day... I'm not like that. Not with games, I mean.

I can't think of any game that made me so excited that it was excruciating watching the time pass. Seven days... 3 days... 2 days... it's tomorrow! Then rushing to the store or the mail to see if the game has arrived. There might have been a time when I couldn't stand the wait, but either way I never had much money to spend on games, so I couldn't really buy a freshly-released game. Plus, we don't have the same personalities we had in our youth. That would raise lots of problems if I were to be 30 and behaved like a 10 year old.

For example: The Witcher 3 is coming out in February 2015. I think that game is going to be amazing, and I'm looking forward to see what it plays like, to read the reviews, to watch the playthroughs. Should I call that anticipation? It would be anticipation if I knew I was going to play the game in February, if I had a PC to run it or a PS4.

I don't have a PS4, nor any of the new stuff being released. As of a few minutes ago, I just completed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (very good game by the way), a 2007 game. It's almost 7 years old. I don't mind being that kind of gamer. It's not good or bad. It just is.

I buy cheap games on Steam that my PC can run, most of them over 3 years old, I play them, some times review them, and I have fun, because a game is a game, no matter the day it was released in. Will I get the chance to play the games that are being released? I don't know what the future holds, nor any of you do (do you?), so I can't tell. But I was talking about the Witcher 3, wasn't I?

Right now I'm finishing the first Witcher. A highly immersive RPG, with a cool story and amazing world and characters. I really like that game. I've seen gameplay videos of the Witcher 2: even more fabulous. When I saw gameplay videos of the Witcher 3 my jaw dropped. I found the word for it: I'm not anticipating the release of that game. I'm curious to know more about the game. I can give you a little metaphor for curious.

Imagine the Witcher 3 (or any game being released in the future) is a train and you can only see the front of it. As you stand in the station waiting for it to come towards you and stop, you can see more and more of it. You can see the style of the train, how long it might be, the colors, the driver, the passengers... the detail keeps increasing. There are many people alongside you, waiting for the train. Some have spent nights and days in the station waiting for it to arrive. Others, like myself, just casually walk by the station every now and then to see if it has arrived and what it looks like. This last kind of people is just curious, nothing more. They can miss seeing the full train, they might not get inside, and even if the train didn't stop and went away, everything would be as it always as been. Just another day.

Do you understand my point of view? I don't think I was ever excited for a game release because I never could afford getting into the train on the first day; maybe a couple of months later, when it's more empty and other trains are already arriving. Sometimes I even get into a train when it's in the junkyard of trains: it remains beautiful, people still talk about it, but there's no one inside it anymore. Well, I am I'm sure many of you also are. And we all know that even when they're off the rails, the beauty and charm remains.

Welcome to another week on this huge world! That means Lost_In_Translation has another topic for us to write about! This time is about the Ultimate Crossover. What would be the best, coolest crossover you would like to see in TV, movies or video-games? Well, I have my choice:

We all know how cool Metal Gear Solid is. And we all know how awesome Splinter Cell can be as well. Wouldn't it be great if these two characters met! I know it's all stealth, and that they have similar roles, but stilll, I would like to see them in the same game Maybe they could fight each other, there could be a campaign where you chose to play as one or the other, each with a different storyline... I don't know, there are so many possibilities

In the end of August, BlackArachnid started a community tagging craze: you talk about your gaming preferences (favorite platform, genres, play styles, etc.), and then tag 3 other people to do the same. Well, the great dilllaweezer tagged me, so here I am, trying to get all my ideas into one place

Playstyle

What and how do I play... I love playing multiplayer games. No, I don't think that's interely correct. I love playing Counter Strike. Yeah, that's more likely. There's something about playing with new people every day, along with some friends, that I can't ignore. It's the constant changing challenge: multiplayer games are always different. Despite the maps being the same, with some new ones every once in a while, the game is hardly repetitive. You might be in a match playing against a tough team who headshots everyone, or you might be playing a balanced match, where you play the best you can, trying to win. There's something special about it.

That being said, I also love Single-Player games. Actually, they're the type of games I played all my life! From the moment my parents got me a Gameboy Advance to the year I finally got into Steam, single-player games is what my gaming library is about. Nowadays we see developers focusing on the multiplayer aspect, saying that games should be multiplayer only, that the future lies in multiplayer games... of course there can be multiplayer only games, but I need a single-player campaign. I want to be able to play a game on my own. Waking up in the morning and play Binding of Isaac, trying to get a couple more achievements unlocked.

Favorite Platform

My favorite platform has to be my Nintendo DS. I played great games on my GBA, great games on my Wii, and amazing ones on the PC, but I think the DS takes the crown. So many great games I played in it...

I mean, just the fact of having two screens was amazing at the time. It still is actually, and because you can fold it and put it in your pocket adds a certain style to it that no console has ever achieved other than Nintendo's.

Plus, I have a pile of great games in my bedroom!

By brother has another pile just like this one (different games of course), which makes up for a nice sum of games!

This was the console I spent most time with. I have it for about 6 or 7 years now, I don't know quite for sure, but I had so much fun with it. Firstly, we have the Pokemon games, an amazing franchise supported by even more amazing games. Pokemon Black 2 was even better than Pokemon White. I played with my brother, we went to each other's Black City and White Forest, and being able to play in the same world, together is just fantastic.

Then we have New Super Mario Bros. That game was lots of fun. I fully completed it twice, just for the fun of it, and the multiplayer is fabulous! The fun I had playing against my friends, stealing stars from them, leading to my victory was great. I also lost, don't worry

Mario & Sonic in the Olympic Games was a great game as well, with tons of sports for you to play. Sims 2 Castaway was one hell of a game as well. So much crafting, secrets to unlock, a map to explore, people to meet... lots of fun. There's also Kung Fu Panda, which along Star Wars the Clone Wars are ranked among the best fighting games I've ever played.

Finishing off the list there's Evolution GT, a nice racing games with not so nice graphics Fish Tycoon was a disappointment. Basically you just have to breed fish, feed them and sell them. No missions, no story, no other distractions. Nothing. Highly repetitive.

SimCity for the DS was great. The lower screen was a bit too small to place the buildings, but when you're having fun I don't think that counts.

Favorite Genres

Having talked about my DS and its games, I know enter the realm of gaming genres. The big categories in gaming. Let's start with a big one:

RPG

This genre takes so many games into account. Nearly every game nowadays has RPG elements into it. But there are some who were truly remarkable. Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon White, Pokemon Ranger, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Mass Effect, The Witcher, Final Fantasy VII, Eragon for the GBA...

Racing

Driving cars in a game is lots of fun. Specially if you're competing against friends or running from the cops Need for Speed Carbon, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Gran Turismo, Mario Kart...

Shooter

I'm a big fan of shooters. They can be first person or third person, but it doesn't really matter to me. It's incredible what a gun can do. Bioshock, Far Cry 2, Modern Combat 3, Counter Strike, Borderlands, Half-Life 2, Mass Effect, Portal, Portal 2, Sanctum 2...

Strategy

Strategy was one of the first genres I got into. So many good memories of playing Age of Empires, Rome Total War, Age of Mythology (one of the greatest strategy games ever) or Warlords Battlecry. So many good games. I love spending hours trying to figure out to get to the enemy base and win the battle.

Platformer

Mario defined what platforms should play like. Nintendo introduced some great games to my life, but it wasn't the only company. Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Land, Sonic, Guacamelee... all amazing platformers.

Fighting

Fighting got my claws in my ever since I played Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat for the Sega Mega Drive. I found some gameplay videos so you can know what I'm talking about.

Stealth

Last but not least, we have everything stealth. One of my first games was Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation. AMAZING game, and it came with two discs! There's also Splinter Cell for the GBA and Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. I love sneaking up on enemies: much more fun than going in a room guns blazing!

The story begins in jail, where the Locksmith - one of the character - breaks free and sets up a crew of other thieves and criminals in order to get out of the country. To achieve that goal they rob banks, embassys, police stations, everything they need to escape Monaco.

It's enough to explain the gameplay, where the real fun is, being introduced by a short, simple cutscene with dialogues at the beginning of evey mission.

Gameplay

This is a top-down stealth game. It cleverly merges a map with the area where you're playing. As you can see in the screenshot above, you have to move around the map, trying to complete your goal(s), preferably avoiding the guards. If that can't be arranged, and if they do spot you, simply break their line of sight and either hide in a plant pot or shoot them. Dead man can´t talk.

Despite being a top-down 2D game, you can't see everything on the screen. You can't see behind corners, nor through walls. They're human thieves, not super-heroes!

There's always plenty to strive for in a mission: collect all coins, complete it undetected, kill everyone... If you run straight to the main goal and forget everything else, the game isn't hard, but trying to get to all safes - surrounded by multiple alarms and guards - without being noticed requires patience, finding patterns and weaknesses and get in and get out as fast as you can!

Characters

There are multiple characters unlockable as the story progresses, each with its own skills for crime: theLocksmith is the fastest character at unlocking locked doors, safes, and everything with a lock in it. That's why he's called the smith of locks! The Pickpocket always has a monkey by his side that collects coins for him. Oddly enough, the guards never notice the monkey, and if they do, they don't even suspect of it. But it's a game, right? If you want real life detail, there are banks where you live, aren't there?

The Lookout, as implied in the name, has a long line of sight, and can even "see" through walls: you always know where the enemies are. The Cleaner can knock out an unsuspecting enemy. Just slowly sneak on his back and POW!!!

The Mole is one of my favorites: he carries a hammer with him, and can dig tunnels through walls. How cool is that? No more going through the front door. Now I can make my own doors. Super handy, but not in a way that unbalances the difficulty of the game. There's also The Gentleman, who can disguise himself while he's hidden: also very good if you're trying to get money out of someone's pocket (literally) or access a computer with a guard nearby. Speaking of hacking, you can also play as The Hacker: simply get to a power outlet on the wall and hack away all alarms in your way. Finally, there's The Redhead, who has the ability to charm enemies, making them unlock doors or just letting her through without sounding any alarms.

Lots of characters for you to play with, and you can use them all in the same mission. At the beginning you select your character, but when he dies, just select another one and off you go! It may sound too easy, but there will be times when eight characters aren't enough.

Presentation

With vibrant and saturated colors, Monaco's looks are pleasing to look at, without being too hard on the eyes and without distracting you from what you're doing. I don't know what else to say about 2D graphics

Sound

I love the music in this game. The developers are clearly jazz/piano fans. Either that, or they thought piano was the best instrument to listen to while stealing passports. Great soundtrack, and nice sound effects as well: changing clothes, opening doors, breaking through walls, knocking guards out, the alarms, the "Uh?" sound of confused enemies and the voices in general are very good as well. It's great to hear the guards talking in French, but the game takes place in Monaco, so what else to expect?

SCORE: 9

This game clearly deserves a 9. Characters being constantly introduced, varied missions, great gameplay and wonderful music make this game a must-play. I really recommend it.

The game starts off with you running. You play as Faith and you're a messenger, running from one place to the other in order to deliver an information. That's your job. Or it was untill Faith's sister got framed for killing a big politician, and it's up to you to clear the mess.

Faith is the main character in this first-person runner. I guess we could call it an FPR - never thought of that before. She's a tough and fast girl, who can handle her way in a fight, but we don't get to know that much about the characters.

When you go to a different area of the world, when you progress to the next chapter in the game, there are cartoony looking cutscenes explaining the story and introducing the other characters: Merc, the man behing your earpiece, who's voice is always present in your head; Miller, the detective who helps you finding out what happened; Ropeburn, one of the badguys you have to fight; Celeste, another runner and the multiple cops you have to fight and dodge along the game.

Gameplay

This game plays fabulously well. It's absolutely amazing how the developers managed to integrate running into a game. I don't know how to put it into words so I'll leave a short video here.

While you run, you always think about whether you are going to make that jump, if you'll fall, if you can reach that platform over there. And when you do fall, you're glad this is just a game. You hear the wind as you fall faster, propelled by gravity, untill you hit the ground. Poff!

Besides all the running and the wall jumping, whenever there are bad guys you can just run past them and avoid them, or jump towards them and place a kick in their chests. Fighting is very entretaining, and there's no invencible-against-bullets stuff going on in here. Two, maybe three shots and the victim is dead. A couple of hits in the head can also do the trick.

Presentation

The color pallete in this game is unusual. There's a realistic tone to it, all the models, textures and lighting are great and super realistic, but the colors are not, which isn't a bad thing though. Strong red in the walls, in doors, is the color to follow in order to get through the level. You just have to look for that red door, or red pipe, or red box. It's a "This way!" sign.

The game is mostly white. The buildings are white, with a few green or yellow every now and then to keep things from becoming too whitey (does this word exists?).

The city is beautiful and the lighting and shadows are really well done.

As a contrast against all that reality, the cutscenes on the other hand are animated drawings. Sometimes I felt like an in-game cutscene would be more appropriate, but they're still nice to watch.

Sound

The music does its job well. Each level has two different soundtracks: one acts as the mood, as the environmental background, and whenever a combat begins, or you're in danger somehow, it changes to a heavier beat, warning you to either get out of wherever you are, or to deal with the attackers. The sound effects are also very good. The breathing, the contact with walls and the ground, when you fall, when you punch, when you shoot, when you kick, there's no repetitiveness in what you hear.

The voice acting is very good. All the characters have a passionate voice actor behind them. You can hear it, you relate the voice to the character, to the animation and to what's happening, almost forgetting there's a real person voicing it in a studio somwhere. I call that a job well done.

I'm on top of a train!!!

SCORE: 8.8

With great mechanics, nice story and a good looking city, I only wish Mirror's Edge was longer than just 7 hours.